Top ten Irish Studies programs in North America

Irish Studies programs at North American universities is a growing trend.

Today, there are dozens of programs across the U.S. and Canada, many of which provide an interdisciplinary approach to learning about a rich Celtic culture that's existed since the dawn of Western civilization.

IrishCentral has compiled a list of 10 exemplary Irish Studies programs in North America, complete with each program's philosophy and what they have to offer.

The Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies is an interdisciplinary project devoted to teaching and research in Irish culture in all its internal and external relations. Established in 1993 under the intellectual leadership of Professor Seamus Deane, the Keough-Naughton Institute’s faculty now includes leaders in Literature, History, Film, Television and Theater and it is regularly supplemented by visiting professors, some of whom come to Notre Dame as Naughton Fellows in a reciprocal arrangement with Irish universities.

BOSTON COLLEGE - Center for Irish Programs

Location: Chestnut Hill, MA

Program: Undergraduate Minor, Graduate Degree

About:

The Center for Irish Programs at Boston College brings together all University Irish Initiatives. It has oversight responsibility for the Irish Studies program, the Irish Institute, the Burns Library Irish Collections, the Center for Irish Programs - Dublin, and the Irish Music Program. Boston College was founded, in part, to educate the sons of famine emigrants from Ireland who settled in Boston. The Center for Irish Programs continues this important aspect of the University's mission and heritage.

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY - Glucksman Ireland House

Location: New York, NY

Program: Undergraduate Minor, Graduate Degree

About:

Located in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village, Glucksman Ireland House is the center for Irish Studies at New York University, with courses in history, Irish language, literature, music and politics. NYU undergraduates may pursue a minor or a B.A./M.A. in Irish and Irish-American Studies. Graduate students may earn a Masters in Irish and Irish-American Studies

For the New York community, they present a weekly public events series during the academic year, as well as a monthly traditional Irish music series.
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY - Center for Irish Studies

Location: Washington D.C.

Program: Master’s Degree

About:

Irish studies at Catholic University has been present for over a century: the university established the first professorship devoted to teaching the Irish language in 1896. They offer an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Irish Studies. The interdisciplinary nature of the program gives students the opportunity to take a range of courses from various university departments, as well as a semester-long Parliamentary Internship in Dublin.

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS HOUSTON - Center for Irish Studies

Location: Houston, TX

Program: Undergraduate Minor, Graduate Concentration

About:

On January 23, 2003, the Center for Irish Studies opened in the Link Lee Mansion. Today the Center for Irish Studies resides at 4110 Mt. Vernon on the UST campus. In its short history, the Center for Irish Studies has made its mark by offering a wide range of cultural events to the University community and the community at large as well as a broad array of academic courses in Irish Studies, both on campus and in Ireland.
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY - Center for Canadian Irish Studies

The Center for Canadian Irish Studies was created in 2000 through the joint financial support of Concordia University and the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation. Its mandate is to promote a fuller understanding of Ireland and the Irish experience in Canada. The Center coordinates a Minor and a Certificate in Canadian Irish Studies, an annual public lecture series by scholars and distinguished figures in Irish cultural life, scholarships in Canadian Irish Studies and special outreach projects of interest both to academics and the Irish community in Canada.

QUEENS COLLEGE - Irish Studies

Location: Flushing, NY

Program: Undergraduate Minor, Possible Interdisciplinary Major

About:

The Undergraduate Irish Studies minor at Queens College is intended for all students interested in the study of the rich and varied cultures of Ireland. For students majoring in English, Comparative Literature, History or Political Science, the Minor in Irish Studies provides a way for students to do intensive study in Irish culture- including the Irish language, Anglo-Irish literature, archaeology, film studies, and history. Students interested in an interdisciplinary major in Irish Studies (through Interdisciplinary and Special Studies) can consult with the Director of Irish Studies.

MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE - Irish Studies

Location: Purchase, N.Y.

Program: Undergraduate Minor

About:

The Irish Studies Undergraduate Program offers an interdisciplinary minor in the history and culture of Ireland and the Irish Diaspora, from the early Christian period to the present. Contemporary trends underscore the extraordinarily diverse character that Irish Studies has assumed in the last two decades. The aim of the program is to provide the student with a comprehensive appreciation of the Irish experience through a range of courses drawn from different disciplines and reflecting the richness and complexity of this field of study.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON - Celtic Studies Program

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Program: Undergraduate Certificate

About:

The Celtic Studies Program is a regular unit of the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Celtic Studies is a multidisciplinary field encompassing the history and culture of those peoples who presently inhabit the northwestern perimeter of Europe, including Ireland (both north and south), Scotland, Wales, Brittany and the Isle of Man. The Program's mission is to facilitate the integrated examination of these various fields and topics. The Program offers an undergraduate Certificate in Celtic Studies.Undergraduates can also major in Celtic Studies under the provisions of the individual major program.

VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY - Irish Studies

Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania

Program: Undergraduate Concentration

About:

The Undergraduate Concentration in Irish Studies is available to students in all degree programs. Villanova Irish Studies explores the history and culture of the Irish people from different perspectives — literature, history, art, politics and folklore. Interested students may also study in Ireland either in a Semester Abroad program or with the Villanova in Ireland Summer program at NUI Galway.